


Downpour

by sanctum_c



Series: Tub Fics [7]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Bathrooms, F/M, First Meetings, Missing Scene, Pre-Canon, Rain, Warm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:40:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27864717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: Aeris is caught out in the rain on the Upper Plate and soaked to the skin. Fortunately she runs into someone able to get her dry.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Series: Tub Fics [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179503
Kudos: 7





	Downpour

The muted whir of the hair-dryer in the next room stopped and Aeris held her breath, waiting to see what the man outside would do next. The knock on the door made her jump and she slid deeper into the bath, ensuring her shoulders were under the water.

"Hi, er, Aeris?" the man said. "I think I got your dress dry. Mostly. Um... just let me know when you want it?"

"I will," Aeris called back. The door was still locked; no harm in being cautious. All part of day to day life in Midgar. "Thanks," she added.

"No problem." Footsteps padded away; nothing further from her benefactor. Aeris sighed; a few more minutes in the warm water and she really would need to get out. By then her underwear and socks should have dried off on the towel rail. The shiny metal structure still impressed her. Absurd; she was lying in a huge tub, in a bathroom in a luxurious hotel she could never hope to afford a room in, and the one thing she drawing her attention was a heated towel rail. Well, it was good it was there; without that her clothes would never dry - and at no point did she want him to dry her underwear using the hair-dryer.

As great as the towel rail was, she was overlooking so much more; the pristine, mould-free ceilings in the bathroom. The enormous bed with the deep red covers in the main room - the shade a perfect match to the curtains tied back beside the gigantic windows. And still more; the springy carpet she left damp footprints on, the tiny foil wrapped chocolates on the pillows, the faint - if artificial - floral scent in the air.

At least she was warm now; thanks to a stranger offering her a helping hand when she least expected it.

_The rain came out of nowhere. Weather reports for Midgar had a habit of being less than totally accurate, but usually at least the broad details were correct. It was unusual for them to not warn about the risk of a downpour at all - and thanks to that, Aeris's umbrella was back at home while she was on the upper plate. It had only been an hour since she started selling her flowers when the rain started and soaked her to the skin in seconds. Ducking into the nearest overhang she could find helped little. Wonderful. And almost her entire stock remained unsold - unlikely anyone was going to be keen on buying flowers in this weather._

_"Are those real?" a voice asked._

_A SOLDIER was staring at her basket in fascination. The glowing ring around his pupils gave him away - always gave Shinra's elite away, even if, like this one, they were out of uniform. The man with black, spiky hair looked like he was trying very hard not to attract attention - casual dress and sunglasses. However absurd it was at the moment, at least he would escape most people's attention. Peering over the top of said sunglasses defeated the object somewhat. Unless Shinra had changed tactics significantly, it was unlikely he was here to drag her back to the corporate headquarters. "Yes, my flowers are real," she said, forcing a cheerfulness into her voice despite the chill pervading her whole being. "Ten gil each."_

_The price varied depending on customer. Probably she should have offered one gil and just got rid of the flowers as fast as possible. Then at least she could get home and warm. But rumour had it that Shinra paid SOLDIER extremely well; he could afford it. "I'll take them all," the SOLDIER said. Aeris shivered, her hand tightening on her staff. "Not like that," the man replied holding his hands up. "I was trying to help you out."_

_"Help me out?" Aeris asked her teeth chattering._

_"You look - and sound - cold. How about we get you somewhere dry? And if I buy your flowers you can go home, right?" Aeris nodded. "Is it far?"_

_"Is what far?" she asked._

_"Home."_

_A few hours - and would involve a damp trudge to the nearest station, the hour or so on the train to get below the plate and then another damp trudge through Sector Five. "Pretty far," she admitted._

_"Figures," he said. "So. How many flowers?"_

_"Fifty." More or less - she never bothered with an exact count each morning._

_"Fifty huh? So, five hundred gil." The SOLDIER pulled out his wallet. "Can you break a note?" he asked holding a thousand gil note. Aeris shook her head. "Guess you get to keep the change then."_

_"Can't let you do that," Aeris stuttered as she shivered._

_"Then owe me. Look, we need to get you into the warm before you freeze to death." He gestured down the street. Under any other circumstance, Aeris would have made it quite clear that both his presence and his offer were not remotely welcome. But right now, she was so very, very cold._

_"Okay," she said and held out the contents of the basket to him._

_"Keep them for now." She nodded and awkwardly started off in the indicated direction. "Nice to meet you by the way. I'm Zack."_

_"Aeris," she replied._

Difficult to leave the bath even if the room was nicely warm, but she could not live in it. Not easily anyway. And what would she tell mom? Aeris shook her head and wrapped the towel tightly around her chest before venturing closer to the door. "Zack?" she called.

Soft footsteps approached. "Yeah?"

"Can I have my dress back now?"

"Sure!" Aeris hefted her staff in one hand; Zack had not even blinked when she insisted on taking it into the bathroom with her. Aeris braced her foot on the tile-floor - not enough friction to stop an intrusion if it came to it, but she had to try - and opened the door a fraction. A mass of pink cloth pushed through the gap.

"Thanks," Aeris said as she immediately pushed the door closed and twisted the lock. Safe again. Her underwear was slightly stiff from the hasty drying and the dress felt odd against her skin. Everything needed rewashing as soon as she got back. Pyjamas for the rest of the day sounded perfect; curled up in bed in the warm with her book.

Nice to have dry clothes at least, her mood vastly improved as a result. Zack looked away from the window as she exited the bathroom. Just how soft was that mattress for it to dip so much with him sat on the edge like that? "Better?" he asked.

"Much. Thank you," she said. She grabbed her boots and sat in the nearest chair as she laced them up. They were frustratingly still a little damp, but they would do to get her home.

"Don't suppose I could ask you to join me for dinner?" Zack asked as she finished lacing the first boot.

She paused and met his gaze. "You can ask," she said. "The answer will be no, however." Second boot on, slightly damp jacket over her shoulders and she was ready to go.

Zack nodded. "That's fine." He held up a folded note. "For the flowers."

Aeris took the money. "Thank you. I promise I will get you your change... Somehow." She was perhaps being too harsh. "And thank you for helping me. I-" She snapped her mouth closed. Zack grinned.

"No problem," he said. "Do you need any help getting home?"

"I think I'll be fine," Aeris replied. She picked the mass of flowers from the basket and laid them on the nearby desk. Another glance at her impromptu saviour. He was staring out the window again. Gentle smile, eyes the colour of the summer sky, tell-tale green ring around the pupil. Would dinner and spending more time with him be so bad? He was cute, polite and respectful. Deep breath. "Would another night be okay?"

"Another night?" Zack twisted around to look at her in confusion.

"For dinner," Aeris replied and smiled. "Your question?"

"Oh!" His surprise soon turned to delight. "It would. I mean..." He shook his head. "Tonight would have been the best since I'm not back in Midgar for another week or so..." He trailed off. "This time next week would work though."

"Next week then. Meet at the same time?" Aeris asked, his smile encouraging her own. "And the same place?"

"Okay," Zack said. "Do you want me to maybe bring an umbrella this time? Just in case?"

"I'll bring one with me I think," Aeris said. "Until next week then?"

"Until then. Bye Aeris," he said.

"Bye Zack," she replied, still smiling as she left him and retraced her steps through the hotel. Hopefully their next meeting would be a nicer time to be in his company.


End file.
